Science – life cycles, habitats, metamorphosis, pollination, food production & food handling.

Practical skills – Wood working skills, making frames for hives, using calculations to ensure an accurately spaced hive, (the concept of the 6mm bee space).

Maths & IT – shape, dealing with cell hexagons, budgeting and costing, entrepreneurial skills of business in selling our honey and wax creating spreadsheets.

Art & History – Exploring the link between prehistoric man, early civilisations, cave paintings beekeeping and art. Creating their own artwork for our Loreto Honey jar labels.

Legislation and Regulation – Children will learn about EU legislation regarding honey sales, labelling, accurate measuring and weighing, adhering to rules and regulations.

Resilience & Confidence – Looking through a hive of up to 40,000 bees takes confidence! Establishing endurance and an ‘I can do this!’ attitude, is so important in preparing our children for the next steps in life… from transition to secondary school, to bigger issues in their own lives.

English – Enormous opportunity within the English curriculum, from creative writing, alliteration, and poetry.

Life Opportunities & Responsibility – The children will have the opportunity to care for livestock with all it entails… to having the chance of viewing the life and times of the honey bee in a sustainable and managed way which ensures the colonies survival year on year.

Responsibility also comes from a realisation that their own actions, behaviour and interactions with others and nature, often have both near and far consequences.

Extended Learning
Should the pupils want to become further involved in beekeeping, they can study for the Junior Beekeeping Certificate. This course will only run if numbers are sufficient.

Enhanced Risk Assessment – School Apiary – Bee stings

Honey bees sting only as a last resort, when a worker bee stings, she is mortally wounded and dies. Careful handling and quiet behaviour at the hive therefore reduce the risk of a sting, but suffering the occasional sting cannot be ruled out for anyone dealing directly with bees.

Wearing appropriate protective clothing is essential, as this too, significantly reduces the chance of being stung. The sting apparatus of the honey bee has its own ganglion, (nerve mechanism) the sting is barbed and fixes into skin, once embedded, it is torn from the bee’s abdomen, and the apparatus continues to pump venom until the sting is removed.

The sting therefore should be extracted as quickly as possible to minimise the dose of venom. Contrary to the information in many text books, it makes no difference whether the sting is pinched out of the skin or flicked out. The valve mechanism in the sting apparatus prevents the flow of venom even when the sting is squeezed or squashed. It is simply important to remove the sting as rapidly, by whatever means is easily available.

Dealing with stings will be explained and taught before bees are handled.
Anaphylactic shock is an extreme reaction to a substance, bee sting venom can cause anaphylaxis, but this is very rare. Usually a sting is of no significant risk to the victim, but is irritating and or painful. A cascade of chemical events caused by the venom, can lead to redness, warmth and tissue swelling at the site of the sting. This normally develops over the following 24-48 hours, and does not mean the site is infected.

Standard treatments are the application of steroid cream, ( 1% hydrocortisone cream is available over the counter at pharmacies).

If the reaction to a sting proceeds to an anaphylactic reaction, the victim passes through a series of reactions into a state where breathing can be become compromised and blood pressure falls, causing ‘shock’ Formal medical assistance and involvement of the emergency services would become essential, and a matter of urgency.

Risk Assessments and Protocols for Loreto Convent School’s Apiary

• Questionnaire is sent to all participants if adults or children, before involvement with the apiary about any history of severe reaction to bee stings. Anyone having a severe reaction will not be permitted to enter the apiary.
• Normal after school club ‘sign up’ will be needed for pupils to join the gardening club which incorporates the bee club, joining gardening club does not automatically lead to direct contact with the bees.
• Parental consent to be sought before any children handle bees.
• Potential beekeepers will be advised that anaphylactic reaction is extremely rare, but will receive instruction about bee sting reactions & appropriate actions before handling bees.
• From September 2021, pupils will complete basic awareness of the Apiary knowledge, before being allowed to handle bees.
• The age, maturity and behaviour of pupils will be considered before allowing them to handle bees.
• Chemical treatments may be used as part of Varroa control, these will be only used by the named Beekeeper, (Mr Taylor) or as instructed for Mr Devincenzi-Clemens and administered during weekend/school holiday inspections when there are no pupils in school. Chemicals will be stored in external locked chemical store with the school premises team.
• Beekeepers will be reminded of appropriate behaviour before entering the Apiary, and may be asked to leave for the health & safety of both bees and Beekeepers if quiet and sensible behaviour is not forthcoming.
• Mr Devincenzi-Clemens is a First Aider and will be present when pupils or staff are handling bees. Specific first aid treatments are available in the nearest first aid location.
• A mobile telephone will be carried by the lead Beekeeper in the apiary, and the full address of school will be displayed within the apiary, along with the grid reference of the hives. Here is our What3Words location, latter,angle.dinner
• Ratio of supervision will be 1 beekeeper to 4 pupils maximum.
• The Apiary environment and equipment will be regularly examined and maintained, to ensure it is safe and fit for purpose. Hive tools will be cleaned after each inspection to prevent build up of any harmful pathogens to bees.
• The apiary is to be kept tidy and free from obstructions at all times.
• A written and dated record of all hive inspections will be kept for each hive.
• The apiary is to be kept locked at all times.
• Protective clothing to be kept in good clean condition, and always cleaned if they have been used at another apiary, to prevent any potential cross contamination between hives.
• All hives will be kept on purpose built stands for the benefit of the bees, and to reduce back strain for the beekeepers.
• Protective clothing MUST be worn by all beekeepers/visitors at all times when inside the apiary.